How to Get Younger, Smoother Skin

One smart move guaranteed to freshen your complexion: regular exfoliation. Here are three easy ways to make it happen.

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Twice a week, you should exfoliate your face first thing in the morning. During sleep, the rate of skin turnover slows, allowing dead cells to build up on the surface and leaving skin feeling rough and dry. And it's not just a cosmetic fix: Exfoliating not only removes dead cells; it encourages skin to increase production of new, healthy cells.

Here are several exfoliation options. Try one, try them all — just be sure to use them twice a week:

1. A scrub
This wash-off product contains a gentle physical exfoliating agent, such as jojoba beads. Avoid abrasive, rough-edged grains or granules like apricot kernels or walnut shells; these can cause tiny micro-tears in your skin, which up the odds of redness, irritation, and roughness. (Just what you don't want!)

2. A brush
A soft, natural-bristle brush plus a little warm water can help you nudge away dead-cell buildup. If bristles don't appeal, try an electric-powered cleansing device, available at most drugstores. The brush heads rotate (as well as oscillate on some models), dislodging dirt from pores and sweeping away dead skin.

3. An exfoliating cleanser
Choose a physical exfoliator, with scrubbing beads (like those mentioned above) that let you remove dead cells and sebum, the waxy oil produced by the skin, with a little muscle; or try a chemical exfoliator, which works by dissolving the bonds between dead surface cells. The chemical exfoliating ingredients that many dermatologists recommend are salicylic and glycolic acids.

After Exfoliating
Next, slather on a facial moisturizer with sunscreen or a moisturizer topped with a separate layer of sun protection product. Then, apply your makeup, as usual.

An added bonus of regular exfoliation? Your skin will absorb more moisturizing plant oils, collagen/elastin boosters, and antioxidant ingredients from your other skin-care products, such as cleansers, moisturizers, and serums. Your makeup will also go on more smoothly, so you'll need less and look more fresh-faced.